SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (April 16, 2023) – Looking to bounce back after dropping game two of the doubleheader in yesterday's matchup, the Gauchos were unable to get the bats going and were held scoreless.

A base hit in the first inning with two walks in the third and a walk in the fifth was all the offense the Gauchos could produce against Long Beach State ace, Shannon Haddad. 

A four-run first inning for Long Beach gave them all the momentum they would need for the game. A 12-hit performance by the LBSU offense carried them to victory in the series finale.  

Long Beach State put up two runs in the third and three runs in the fourth to cap off the scoring and secure the victory 9-0. 

Ilona Sullivan came into the game in relief and kept the Long Beach offense at bay allowing just two hits and no runs, but the 9-0 margin was too much for the Gauchos to overcome as they fell in the series finale. 

QUOTES FROM HEAD COACH JO EVANS
Thoughts on the weekend and today's game: "Tough day for us, we didn't play well right from the get-go. You have to have your pitchers in the circle give you some outs and set the tempo for the game. We got hit hard, but I thought Sully (Ilona Sullivan) came in at the end and gave us the most quality innings. She threw well and was staying ahead of hitters, but Long Beach, tip your cap to them, they are a really good ballclub and rebounded from a game one loss. We didn't do a good job of making adjustments at the plate. We didn't take care of the ball on defense. Overall, I didn't see that confidence or our players playing with some of that swagger."

Thoughts on the upcoming week and weekend: "It doesn't get easier for us, that's for sure, especially on the road. They have such a great history in their program and have strong recruiting classes every year and they are going to give us all we can handle. This will be a really good week for us. We'll lick our wounds a little bit, we're not used to losing but today was clearly a punch in the gut. We will learn a lot about our ball club and how we are going to handle ourselves at practice. I'm still excited about our team we have won three of our five series and I expect us to continue to do that."

On the UCSB atmosphere: "I want to take a moment to thank the crowd for coming out, I thought we had a really good crowd today, and I wish we played better in front of them."

UP NEXT
The Gauchos will travel to Cal State Fullerton for a three-game set against the Titans. Game one of the series will be Friday, April 21. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m.